SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — The St. Louis Cardinals built an early lead and held off a late charge to defeat the San Francisco Giants 9-8 on Tuesday night at Oracle Park. A crowd of 37,012 watched the three-hour, eight-minute contest.

The Cardinals scored three runs in the first inning and broke a 7-7 tie with a four-run seventh, highlighted by a three-run homer from Iván Herrera. Brendan Donovan led St. Louis’s 15-hit attack, going 4 for 5 with an RBI. San Francisco answered with a five-run third inning and a solo home run from Heliot Ramos in the sixth.

Matt Svanson earned the win in relief for St. Louis, while Ryan Walker took the loss for San Francisco. Riley O’Brien recorded the final out for his sixth save. The Cardinals improved to 78-80, and the Giants fell to 77-81.